Capacitive humidity sensor, in particular for radiosonde operation, as well as a process for the manufacture of a detector

Abstract: An impedance detector, in particular for radiosonde operation. The detector comprises a substrate made of an insulating material, onto which substrate the electrode and contact patterns necessary for the formation and connecting of the detector impedance have been applied. Between the detector impedance electrodes, there is an active film, whose impedance values are a function of the physical quantity measured by means of the detector. The substrate of the detector is an oblong core filament of an insulating material, onto and around which core filament said electrodes and said active insulating film have been applied. Also, a novel process is described for the manufacture of said impedance detector.

Description: The invention concerns a capacitive humidity detector, in particular for radiosonde operation, which detector comprises a substrate made of an insulating material, onto which substrate are applied the electrode and contact patterns necessary for the formation and connecting of the detector capacitance. Between the detector capacitance electrodes there is an insulating and active film, whose electrical permittivity is a function of the amount of water absorbed by the active film. The invention concerns a process for the manufacture of such an impedance detector. In the prior art, a number of different electrically detected temperature and humidity detectors are known whose impedance changes as a function of the quantity to be measured. Such humidity detectors are known, e.g., from the US Patents Nos. 3,168,829 and 3,350,941 and from the applicant's Finnish Patent No. 48,229. The FI Patent No. 48,229 is related to the prior art concerned in the present invention, in which patent a capacitive humidity detector is described in which the dielectric insulating material is a polymer film whose permittivity is a function of the amount of water absorbed by the polymer film. As is known in the prior art, also for measurement of temperature, capacitive detectors are used, which are usually based on the fact that the permittivity of the insulating material between the capacitor plates is dependent on the temperature, in which case the capacitance detected from the terminals of the detector also depends on the temperature. In the detectors described above and also in other detectors based on change in impedance, undesirable phenomena occur, which include freezing and wetting of detectors, radiation error, slowness of the detectors, and hysteresis. In order to solve the problems discussed above, it is known from the prior art to provide said detectors with various mechanical shields. Also, attempts have been made to prevent the problems by providing the detectors with heating. Heated detectors require precise measurement of the temperature, which, for its part, produces problems of its own. With respect to the most recent development work carried out by the applicant, related to and closely connected with the present invention, reference is made to the following FI Patent Applications: No. 921449 (filed April 1, 1992), No. 933701 (filed August 23, 1993) and No. 933702 (filed August 23, 1993). The constructions and methods described in said applications can, where applicable, also be used in combination with the present invention. Moreover, in the prior-art humidity detectors, there has been need of further development in respect of the speed and accuracy of the detectors. The prior-art processes of manufacture of the detectors concerned have been demanding and consisted of a number of steps, in particular when a detector of maximum rapidity and accuracy has been aimed at, which usually requires very small size and precise measures of the constructions as well as good control of the various parameters in the processes of manufacture. Furthermore reference is made to JP-A-57 201 827, which defines a temperature detecting device. In a temperature detecting line an inside electrode conductor 2 is provided on the core, a high polymer temperature sensing material layer 3 consisting of a polymer composite including main ions is provided on the conductor 2, and a conductor 4 for the outside electrode is provided in the outside. In this case the structure is rather a sandwich structure than an oblong coaxial structure, as in the impedance detector according to the new invention. Further, the disclosure in the JP reference only defines a temperature detector but not a humidity detector and there is no mention in said reference of certain dimensioning definitions. US-A-3 443 293 refers to a method of manufacturing capacitors in a continous through process. This patent discloses an impedance element having a filament substrate. However, said patent does not disclose a detector and certaily not a detector of the kind specified in accordance with the present invention. GB-A-2 234 820 discloses a sensor manufactured by wafer substrate technology and also a method for producing the sensor. The sensor includes a dielectric layer and at least two electrode layers enclosing the same. The dielectric factor of the layer changes as the moisture of the layer changes.This patent does not comprise anything that would hint at a filament structure of the kind defined by the present invention. The object of the present invention is further development of the construction of the humidity detector and of the processes of manufacture of the prior-art impedance detectors so as to avoid the drawbacks mentioned above and to achieve the objectives stated above and those that will come out later. For these purposes, the detector in accordance with the invention is mainly characterized in that the substrate of the detector is an elongate solid core filament onto and around which core filament electrodes and said active and insulating film are applied; the diameter D s of said filament is inrange of D 3 ≈ 10µm ... 2 mm; and the detector capacitance is in the range of C M ≈ 0,1 pF ... 1000 pF. On the other hand, the process of manufacture of said detectors in accordance with the invention is mainly characterized in that the process comprises a combination of the following steps (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) carried out in the given sequence: (a) onto the continuous core filament of insulating material, conductive bottom electrodes are vapour-deposited at a certain mutual axial distance from one another; (b) the continuous core filament obtained in the step (a) is coated with a material active in the measurement of impedance; (c) the continuous core filament obtained in the step (b) is coated with conductive surface electrodes, which are placed at least partly facing the gaps between said bottom electrodes and at least partly facing the bottom electrodes; (d) the core filament so manufactured is coated with a layer of insulating material; and (e) the continuous detector filament obtained from the step (c) is cut of into pieces to make the impedance detectors. The detector in accordance with the invention is characterized by wireshaped form, small size, and little mass, which contributes to a detector of rapid time responses. The circular cross-sectional shape and the small size of the detector are also of advantage in the elimination of the freezing phenomenon. The little and favourable forms in the detector may already be sufficient to eliminate the problem of condensing and freezing of humidity, if necessary, together with a particular surface treatment. However, if these means are not sufficient, it is possible to integrate the detector in accordance with the invention with an efficient and rapid heating, in which case the measurement of temperature required in a humidity detector is precise and quick, because the inside and outside heat transfer properties of the detector are favourable. In such a case, measurement of temperature is used, in the way known from the prior art, as a starting value in the correction computing to eliminate the effect of heating that distorts the measurement of humidity. The detector construction that is most appropriate in each particular case depends on the mode of application of the detector in accordance with the invention. The detector can be used while heated constantly, periodically, or in some other way under controlled heating. The humidity detector in accordance with the invention is suitable for the use of efficient heating pulses of a duration of an order of just a millisecond, in which case quick measurement applications are possible. The measurement of temperature may take place as continuous or while alternating with measurement of humidity. With respect to cyclic heating and measurement of temperature, reference is made to the applicant's said FI Pat. Appl. 933702. It is also possible to accomplish the detector construction of the invention without heating and without measurement of temperature. Detector protection is not needed necessarily because of the small size of the detector. The shield constructions in themselves are centres of condensing and produce problems of humidity measurement. The detector construction in accordance with the invention permits the use of a continuous filament reel process in its manufacture and makes it easy to cut the filament into detector pieces and to use said detectors when provided with contacts at their ends. The core filament may be formed in a number of different ways. It is possible to use fibreglass alone, or in the interior of the glass there may be a heating resistor and/or a temperature measurement detector. For a temperature meter, a miniature thermistor is also suitable. The glass itself may also operate as the dielectric of a capacitive temperature detector, in which the core filament may be, at the same time, the heating resistor and one of the electrodes of the temperature measurement capacitance, whereas the metallization placed on the core constitutes the other electrode. As the basic material of the core, it is also possible to use some other suitable material besides glass, such as plastic. In the process of manufacture of the invention, onto the core filament, thin metal areas are vapour-deposited, which areas operate as a combined bottom and contact electrode when the detector is connected to its environment. Onto this construction, a thin polymer film or equivalent is processed. Onto this plastic film, the surface electrode is vapour-deposited, through which electrode moisture can penetrate into the polymer film. The surface electrode is preferably placed so that it is placed partly overlapping two successive bottom electrodes, and the part of the bottom electrode that is not covered by a surface electrode operates as a contact area when the detector is connected to its environment. Constructions of a different sort are also possible within the scope of the invention. The electrodes do not have to be unified faces and extend around the whole core, but they may consist of two or even more than two parts. In particular when manufactured by means of the process of the present invention, the detector in accordance with the invention becomes of low cost and easy to use. The detector in accordance with the invention is particularly suitable for use in radiosondes in measurement of relative humidity, but the humidity detector in accordance with the invention can also be applied to measurement of humidity in industry also under demanding conditions, and for weather monitoring or equivalent on the ground. In this connection, it should, however, be emphasized that the scope of the invention also includes other detectors, besides capacitive humidity detectors, such as resistive or capacitive temperature detectors and other, corresponding impedance detectors. Increased length and reduced thickness of the detector filament usually improve the construction of the humidity detector, because by these means the radiation error can be reduced, and an interfering adhesion of a water drop becomes more difficult and, even if a water drop should adhere, its relative effect of increasing the area of the surface electrode is reduced. If a heating wire and/or a temperature measurement wire is used inside the core filament in the detector filament in accordance with the invention, the gaps between the bottom electrodes should be dimensioned as little as possible so that the formation of a capacitance between the surface electrode and the wire placed in the core is minimized. In the following, the invention will be described in detail with reference to different exemplifying embodiments of the invention illustrated schematically in the figures in the accompanying drawing, the invention being by no means strictly confined to the details of said embodiments. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a detector filament manufactured by means of the process of the invention, from which filament the detectors in accordance with the invention are cut off. Figure 2A is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 1. Figure 2B is a sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 1. Figure 2C is a sectional view taken along the line C-C in Fig. 1. Figure 3A is a central longitudinal sectional view of a preferred detector construction in accordance with the invention. Figure 3B is a sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 3A. Figures 4A,4B,4C,4D, and 4E are sectional views that illustrate alternative different constructions of the core filament that is used in the process of manufacture of the invention. Figure 5 is a block diagram illustration of different steps of manufacture of the core filament that is used in the detector in accordance with the invention. Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of a vapour-deposition device which is provided with reeling and rotating parts and which is intended for making the bottom electrodes in the process of manufacture in accordance with the invention. Figure 7A shows the mask part in the device as shown in Fig. 6. Figure 7B shows the same as Fig. 7A, seen in the direction of the guide opening of the mask part. Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a continuous device based on reeling of a fibre and used in the process of manufacture in accordance with the invention, by means of which device the fibre filament provided with electrodes is coated with an active polymer film. Figure 9 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a second detector filament manufactured by means of the process in accordance with the invention, from which filament the detectors in accordance with the invention can be cut off. Figure 10 is a central axial sectional view of a version of the detector in accordance with the invention that is provided with a central wire. Figure 11 is a central axial sectional view of a coaxial detector construction in accordance with the invention. To begin with, mainly with reference to Figs. 1, 2A, 2B, and 2C, the principal features of the process of manufacture and of the detector in accordance with the invention will be described briefly. By means of the process in accordance with the invention, a continuous detector filament 100 is manufactured. Out of this detector filament 100, pieces are cut off in the transverse direction at the points R-R, which pieces constitute finished humidity detectors after making of possible connector parts. The humidity detector is processed onto a thin core filament 10, which acts as the substrate of the detector. The core filament 10 is by nature of circular section, and its diameter D s ≈ 2r s is very little, being, as a rule, in the range of D s ≈ 10 µm ... 2 mm, in radiosonde applications preferably in the range of D s ≈ 50 µm ... 200 µm. Onto the core filament 10, in the areas F indicated in Fig. 1, bottom electrodes 11 have been applied, which also operate as contact parts. Onto the bottom electrodes 11 and onto the parts of core filament 10 that remain free from said electrodes, a polymer film 12 or equivalent has been applied. The polymer film 12 operates as an active part in the detector capacitance C M . The permittivity of the polymer film 12 is a function of the amount of water absorbed by the polymer film 12, so that C M = f(RH). Onto the polymer film 12, in the areas P, a surface electrode 13 has been applied, which is so thin that it is penetrable by moisture but is, however, electrically continuous. The detector filament 100 is cut off into pieces in the middle of the area F of the bottom electrodes 11, and in the areas E the polymer film 12 is removed so that connector areas are formed, to which the capacitance CM measurement wires are connected. According to Fig. 1, in the areas C 1 and C 2 , between the bottom electrode 11 and the surface electrode 13, capacitances are formed, whose dielectric is the polymer film 12. In the following, with reference to Figs. 3A and 3B, a preferred exemplifying embodiment of the construction and dimensioning of the detector in accordance with the invention as well as the principle of operation of the detector will be described. The cylindrical capacitors C 1 and C 2 formed in the areas of both ends of the surface electrode 13 are connected in series when the detector capacitance C M is measured between the terminals 19. With the measures given in Fig. 3A, C 1 = C 2 = C, in which case C M = C/2. In the construction of Fig. 3A, the active length 1 of the detector can be divided between the component capacitances C 1 and C 2 also in some way other than 1/2 and 1/2, i.e. the capacitances C 1 and C 2 can be of different magnitudes, compared with each other, which may be even an advantage, because in such a case a connection with the ground is not so disturbing. The capacitance C of a cylindrical capacitor is theoretically: C = 2πε l ln r u r s wherein ε = permittivity of the medium l = length r u and r s = outer and inner radii Typically, the dielectric constant ε r (ε = ε r ε o ) is in the range of ε r ≈ 2...5. The thickness of the polymer film 12, i.e. r u -r s , is typically a few micrometres. In each detector application, the detector capacitance C M can be dimensioned in accordance with the requirements of the particular application mainly by varying the axial measure 1. In the following, the widest ranges of variation of different parameters in the dimensioning of a humidity detector and the preferable ranges of variation of same in radiosonde applications will be given. r s ≈ 5 µm ... 1 mm, preferably r s ≈ 25 µm ... 100 µm r u ≈ 5 µm ... 1 mm, preferably r u ≈ 25 µm ... 100 µm l ≈ 0.01 mm ... 100 mm, preferably l ≈ 0.1 mm ... 40 mm L 0 ≈ 0.1 mm ... 100 mm, preferably L 0 ≈ 0.5 mm ... 5 mm L ≈ 0.1 cm ... 20 cm, preferably L ≈ 1 cm ... 10 cm The capacitance C M measured from the terminals 19 of the detector as shown in Figs. 3A and 3B is C M ≈ 0.1 pF... 1000 pF, in radiosonde applications preferably C M ≈ 2 pF ... 500 pF. In the following, with reference to Figs. 4A to 4E, different alternative constructions of the core filament 10 which forms the substrate of the detector in accordance with the invention will be described. According to Fig. 4A, the core filament 10 is a thin fibre made of glass or of some other insulation material alone. According to Fig. 4B, in the core filament 10B, there is a resistor wire 14 that has been processed into the fibreglass core 10a, which resistor wire can be used as a heating resistor for the detector and/or for measurement of the temperature of the detector. In the core filament 10C shown in Fig. 4C, the core 10b is made of dielectric ceramic glass, which acts as the dielectric in the measurement of the temperature of the detector. The outside layer 16 consists of a glass coating or of some other insulating layer. With respect to the details of this construction, reference is made to the applicant's FI Patent Application No. 921449 of earlier date (filed April 1, 1992). In the core filament 10D shown in Fig. 4D, in the interior of the fibreglass core 10a, two parallel heating resistor wires 14a and 14b are fitted, which operate as resistances for the heating of the detector and/or for measurement of the temperature. The outer layer consists of glass or of some other insulating layer 16. In the core filament 10E shown in Fig. 4E, inside the glass core 10a there is a heating resistor wire 14, and outside the glass core 10 a resistor wire 14c has been wound for the purpose of measurement of the temperature. The functions of the resistor wires 14 and 14c may also be reversed. The outer layer 16 is a metallized layer or a glass coating. The wire 14c may be a suitable metal wire, such as a platinum wire. With respect to Figs. 4A to 4E, it should still be emphasized that therein expressly core filaments 10;10B,10C;10D;10E are shown that operate as the substrate of the detector, onto which filaments the bottom electrodes 11, the polymer film 12, and the surface electrodes 13 are processed further. With respect to the details of the construction and of the processes shown in Fig. 4C, in which a dielectric ceramic glass is used as the core 10b, reference is made to the applicant's said FI Pat. Appl. No. 921449. In the construction shown in Fig. 4C, the measurement of the capacitance of the detector, which depends on the temperature, can be carried out between two opposite electrodes 15, as is described in said FI patent application, or between a cylindrical electrode 15 and a central electrode, which central electrode may also consist of a resistor wire 14. It is also possible to use various combinations and mixed constructions in accordance with Figs. 4B to 4E. Fig. 5 shows the production process of the core filament as a block diagram. The drawing of fibreglass is based on technology in itself known. So also the coating of a filament with glass, e.g., by means of a crucible with a hole, in which molten glass and the filament are drawn through the hole. It is also possible to coat two filaments with glass by means of a similar crucible so that the filaments remain separate inside the glass. The coating with glass can also be carried out by means of glass paste. The coating of fibreglass with metal can be carried out as vacuum evaporation or by means of conductive pastes. An insulating layer can be applied onto a metal-coated glass, e.g., by means of a perforated crucible with low-melting glass or by paste coating or by chemical methods, and some other insulating layer can be applied by submerging in a liquid. In Figs. 6 to 8, some devices are illustrated schematically by whose means a core filament 10 produced in accordance with Fig. 5 can be provided with bottom electrodes 11 and be coated with an active polymer coating or equivalent. Onto the core filament 10, bottom electrodes 11 are vapour-deposited out of metal, which electrodes also operate as contact areas with the environment of the detector. The vacuum evaporating takes place, for example, so that the filament runs, in the way shown in Fig. 6, from the reel 28a onto the reel 28b stepwise as transfers of invariable length. Between the reels 28a and 28b, the filament 100 is straight and runs through the evaporation mask 21. The function of the mask 21 is to protect the areas of the filament 10 that are not coated with metal. In order that the metallization could be applied around the filament 10, the filament 10 can be either rotated around its longitudinal axis in the mask 21, or several sources 30 of evaporation are used. In Fig. 6, for said rotation of the filament 10, the reels 28a,28b are mounted on frame parts 27a and 27b, which are again mounted by means of horizontal shafts 26 and by means of axle journals 24a,24b fitted at the ends of the mask part 21 so that they can rotate around a horizontal axis, which horizontal axis coincides with the series of holes 25 in the mask 21 through which the filament 10 is passed from the starting reel 28a to the arrival reel 28b. In principle, the evaporation mask 21 is a number of pipes 22, which are placed at an invariable distance from one another. The filament 10 passes through the series of holes 25 in the pipe pieces 22, and the metallization is produced in the gaps in which the pipes 22 do not protect the filament. The metal evaporation takes place as vacuum evaporation from a source 30, so that the equipment 20 is placed inside an evaporation hood 29. Further, if necessary, the equipment 20 includes an optical detector as an aid for the mask alignment. The filament 10 produced in the step of detector manufacture shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is coated in the device 30 shown in Fig. 8 with a thin polymer layer, whose polymer PL operates as the humidity-sensitive insulation material of the capacitive detector that is formed, the permittivity of said material being a function of the amount of water absorbed by the film. The coating takes place by transferring the filament 10 from the reel 30a onto the reel 30b at an invariable speed. Between the reels 30a and 30b, the filament 10 is submerged in polymer PL in the basin 31, which contains a suitable solution concentration. In the bottom part of the basin 31, there is a guide roll or rod 32, over whose groove 32a the filament 10 is guided in the basin 31 first down and then up. Drying takes place in an oven 33 before the arrival reel 30b of the filament 10. The polymer PL can also be applied onto the filament by using a crucible through which the filament is drawn. Onto the filament 10 obtained in the step of manufacture shown in Fig. 8, the surface electrodes 13 are vapour-deposited in the same way as the bottom electrodes 11 were deposited in the step shown in Figs. 6 and 7. At the beginning, the location of the surface electrode 13 is aligned correctly between two bottom electrodes 11 and partly overlapping said bottom electrodes. After the latter step, the complete detector filament 100 is cut off at the points R-R, in the middle of the bottom electrodes 11, to make the detectors (Fig. 1). If the detector filament 100 comprises detector elements, various peeling processes, etchings, etc. are needed in order that the contact areas could be uncovered from the core. The peeling can take place, e.g., by etching, for example by means of a system similar to that shown in Fig. 8. The electric connecting of the detector takes place primarily by means of an electrically conductive adhesive. As a shield, preferably epoxies can be used. In the making of the detector, a number of different process steps may be needed additionally, for example treatments in an oven, chemical coatings, etchings, etc. They may be carried out by means of devices similar to those shown in Figs. 6 and 8. Well suitable for the material of a heating wire 14 is, for example, platinum. The resistance of the heating resistor 14 is, as a rule, in the range of 1...5000 ohm, preferably 1...1000 ohm. The resistance of a wire that is used for measurement of temperature, for example a platinum wire, is, as a rule, in the range of 1...3000 ohm, preferably 10...1000 ohm. When capacitive temperature measurement is used, the range of capacitance is typically of the same order as in humidity measurements. In Fig. 9, an alternative detector filament is shown which has been manufactured by means of the method in accordance with the invention and out of which pieces of detector filament are cut off at the points R-R between the bottom electrode 11 and the surface electrode 13. The cylindrical bottom electrode 11 and the corresponding coaxial surface electrode 13 are placed one inside the other at one of their ends so that a cylindrical detector capacitance C is formed, in which a polymer film 12 or equivalent constitutes the dielectric. The detector capacitance C is connected by, at one end of the piece of detector filament, uncovering the bottom electrode 11 in the area K, and the connection to the surface electrode 13 takes place from the corresponding end of the piece of detector filament in the area K. In Fig. 10, inside the filament 10 of insulating material, there is a conductive core wire 14A, to which the surface electrode 13 is connected electrically at one of its ends 13a. The point 13a and the cutting point placed at the vicinity of the core wire 14A are protected, e.g., by means of epoxy or equivalent. The connecting of the detector as shown in Fig. 10 takes place from one end 14A' of the core wire 14A and from the uncovered end 1 la of the bottom electrode 11. The active polymer film 12 or equivalent may also extend to outside the surface electrode 13. Fig. 11 shows a coaxial detector construction in which one end 16A of the piece of detector filament is protected from humidity by means of epoxy or equivalent. On the core 10, there is a cylindrical bottom electrode 11, and on said electrode a cylindrical active film 12, and on the film a cylindrical surface electrode 13. The parts 10,11,12 and 13 are coaxial with one another. The electric connecting takes place from the ends 11a and 13a of the electrodes 11 and 13. The connection area must be protected from humidity after the electric connecting by means of epoxy or equivalent. In Fig. 10, if the core wire 14A is not needed for measurement of humidity, it can be used for heating the detector and/or for measurement of the temperature. The constructions shown in Figs. 10 and 11 provide the advantage that the electric connecting of the detector can be carried out from one end of the detector alone, which facilitates the connecting of the detector to its environment. The connecting can be carried out, e.g., by means of an electrically conductive adhesive, in which case it is also possible to use adhesives that are, at the same time, etched through the dielectric layer 12, or said layer can be removed otherwise. Above, some exemplifying embodiments have been described, which are preferable according to the present experience and estimate. However, it should be emphasized that the idea of the invention can also be carried into effect in a number of manners differing from the exemplifying embodiments given above. The detector filament 100 can also be manufactured so that each piece of detector filament has pairs of bottom electrodes 11 of its own, between whose outer ends there is a free gap, at which the cutting (R-R) of the detector filament 100 is carried out. Also, the bottom electrodes 11 and the surface electrodes are not necessarily unified cylindrical parts, but they may consist of patterns of other sorts and even of separate component patterns. In the following, the patent claims will be given, and the various details of the invention may show variation within the scope of the inventive idea defined in said claims and differ from what has been stated above by way of example only.

Claims: A capacitive humidity detector in particular for radiosonde operation comprising: a substrate (10 ... 10E) made of an insulating material, onto which substrate are applied electrode and contact patterns (11, 11a, 13) necessary for the formation and connecting of the detector capacitance (C M ), between the detector capacitance electrodes (11, 13) there is an insulating and active film (12), whose electrical permittivity (ε) is a function of the amount of water absorbed by the active film, characterized in that: the substrate of the detector is an oblong core filament onto and around which core filament (10; 10B; OC; 10D 10E) said electrodes (11, 13) and said active and insulating film (12) are applied; the diameter D S of said filament (10; 10B; 10C; 10D; 10E) is in the range of D S ≈ 10µm ... 2 mm; and the detector capacitance is in the range of C M ≈ 0.1 pF ...1000 pF. A detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the core filament of the detector is made of dielectric ceramic glass, which operates as the dielectric for the measurement of the temperature of the detector; in connection with said core filament contact patterns or equivalent are provided between which the temperature-dependent capacitance is measured; and in that the outer layer (16) of the core filament is selected form the group consisting of a glass layer and another insulating layer. Detector as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in a circular section of said core filament (10 ... 15), the detector is substantially circularly symmetric and, in relation to the longitudinal centre axis of the detector filament (10), substantially coaxial. Detector as claimed in any of claims 1-3, characterized in that on the core filament (10), there are cylindrical bottom electrodes (11), which are placed at a certain distance (L O ) from one another in the longitudinal direction of the core filament so that, on said bottom electrodes (11), there is an insulating film (12), and that, on said insulation film (12), there is a cylindrical surface electrode (13), which is so thin that it is penetrable by humidity but is electrically continuous, that said bottom electrodes (11) and said surface electrode (13) extend so that they overlap each other partially on a certain axial dimension (1), that the capacitance (C M ) to be measured is formed from a connection in series of the two cylindrical capacitances (C 1 , C 2 ) between the bottom electrodes (11) and the surface electrode (13), and that the capacitance (C M ) to be measured is measured between said bottom electrodes (11), preferably between their end areas (11a). Detector as claimed in any of claims 1-4, characterized in that in the interior of the core filament (10B; 10C; 10D; 10E) one or several resistor wires (14; 14a, 14b) are fitted which are used for electric heating of the detector and/or for measurement of the detector temperature based on the dependence of the resistance of said resistor wire (14; 14a, 14b) on temperature. Detector as claimed in any of claims 1-5, characterized in that on and around the core filament (10E), there is a winding resistor wire that is used for heating and/or for measurement of temperature. Detector as claimed in any of claims 1-6, characterized in that the diameter D s ≈50µm ... 200 µm and that the detector capacitance C M is in the range of C M ≈2pF ... 500 pF. Process for the manufacture of an impedance detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the process comprises a combination of the following steps (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) carried out in the given sequence: (a) onto the continuous core filament (10; 10B; 10C; 10D; 10E) of insulating material, conductive bottom electrodes (11) are vapour-deposited at a certain mutual axial distance (L O ) from one another; (b) the continuous core filament (10) obtained in the step (a) is coated with a material active in the measurement of impedance; (c) the continuous core filament (10) obtained in the step (b) is coated with conductive surface electrodes (13), which are placed at least partly facing the gaps (L o ) between said bottom electrodes (11) and at least partly facing the bottom electrodes (11); (d) the core filament so manufactured is coated with a layer of insulating material (16); and (e) the continuous detector filament (100) obtained from the step (c) is cut off into pieces to make impedance detectors. Process as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that said steps (a) and (b) are carried out by reeling the core filament (10) from a starting reel (28a, 30a) onto an arrival reel (28b, 30b). Process as claimed in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the continuous detector filament (10) obtained from the step (c) is cut off into detectors at the bottom electrodes (11), preferably substantially at their middle, and that contact areas (11a) are uncovered in a peeling or etching process at the ends of said bottom electrodes (11), and electric connectors (19) of the detector are connected to said contact areas, preferably by means of an electrically conductive adhesive. Process as claimed in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the continuous detector filament (10) is cut off into detectors at the gaps between the bottom electrodes (11) and the surface electrodes (13) free from said electrodes (11, 13). Process of manufacture as claimed in any of the claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the making of the bottom electrodes (11) in accordance with the step (a) takes place so that the core filament (10) is reeled from a starting reel (28a) onto an arrival reel (28b) stepwise through a mask part (21). Process of manufacture as claimed in any of the claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the coating in accordance with the step (b) of the core filament (10) that is provided with bottom electrodes (11) takes place so that the core filament (10) is passed from a starting reel (30a) onto an arrival reel (30b) through a basin (31) that contains a coating-agent solution (PL) or melt or through an equivalent crucible for drawing through, preferably at an invariable speed, whereupon the coated filament (10) is, if necessary, passed through a drying step (33) placed before the arrival reel (30b). Process of manufacture as claimed in any of the claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the continuous core filament (10) that is used in the step (a) is manufactured by in its interior and/or on said filament placing a resistor wire (14; 14A, 14B; 14C). Process of manufacture as claimed in any of the claims 8 to 14, characterized in that, in the process, the glass core (10b) is made of dielectric glass, which is fitted as the dielectric of the capacitor used in capacitive measurement of temperature in the detector.

Inventors: APUKKUNEN ARI, PONKALA JORMA, APUKKUNEN, ARI, PONKALA, JORMA
Applicants: VAISALA OY
Application year: 1994
Main classification: G01D5
IPC codes: G01R27, G01N27, H01G13, G01W1, G01K7, G01D5